An Afternoon with My Mailbox

What can you do in an afternoon?

Here are a few ideas:

1.  Pin a few hundred pictures on Pinterest.
2.  Buy a Puppy.
3.  Bake a pie.
4.  Reupholster an Upholstered Chair Fit for a Princess.
5.  Make a Crafty Fall "Candle".
6.  Turn your plain-jane kitchen window into a Window Garden.
7.  Make some Ball Jar Soap Dispensers to give away as gifts...or just to keep :)
8.  Stare out the window at the incredible Airstream Trailer sitting in your neighbor's driveway and wish you had the guts to go ask for a tour.
9.  Make a Belt Floor Mat.
10.  Visit an apple orchard, then go home and make applesauce!

Well, though I have done those things before...and may currently be involved in #8...I have one MORE afternoon project to tease your brain with.

Last Saturday, I spent some quality time with my mailbox, and Voila!

 See how much we can accomplish in a day if we really want to?  Pretty incredible.
And perhaps slightly depressing, because most of my days do not involve a dramatic "Before" and "After" opportunity.

Example:
"Hey look honey!  Your sock drawer is full now!"
Yeah, nice try.

BUT every once in awhile we get the opportunity to do a quick little project that makes us smile.
This was one of those for me.

This is our little mailbox before.  Nothing cringe-worthy...with the exception of maybe the bird poop and the flowers on the right that I fried.
It was just "tired" looking and since the rest of our

SUMMER OF DESTRUCTION 

(See our Weed-Pulling Party and Garage Shelving posts to catch up)

has just been about taking ridiculous things and making them look normal again, I was craving something pretty.  And the mailbox was an easy target.

I'll be honest with you, I was a little petrified to try this.

Why?

Because I've never seen anyone do this before.  And that generally terrifies me.

I could just hear the neighbors' taunting:

"Oh my gosh, Sallie, did you see that wacko girl out there sitting on a five gallon bucket painting dots on her mailbox?  Oh, and Helen says she has a blog, which she said is some kind of developmental disorder."

But despite my terror of neighborhood scrutiny, I am happy with the results of my insanity.  

Though Sally & Helen may still think I'm a loon.

Sorry, ladies.

If you're curious and might want to join my new club of mailbox painters, here's how it all went down:

1.  I removed the house numbers, bracket, mail flag and side-mounted plastic newspaper box.

2.  I painted the wood with Dutch Boy exterior white latex paint.

3.  Then, I found a graphic online to use as a stencil:

Graphic via Art Fire

This graphic is actually a vinyl decal that you can order through the link above.  Pretty cool!  

4.  I imported the image into GIMP, a freeware version similar to PhotoShop, and resized/edited/stretched the image to make it fit the space I wanted.  Then I printed it on normal paper.

5.  I transferred the image onto the mailbox using fabric transfer paper.  This is a thin paper with a chalky substance on one side that acts like carbon paper.  It's easier to find than carbon paper, though, and also comes in white, in case you need to transfer onto a dark surface. 

                   -I taped on my paper with the graphic, placing it where I wanted the graphic to be.

                   -Then slid the transfer paper underneath, chalk side down.

                   -Then outlined the graphic with a pen, to push the chalk from the transfer paper 

                       onto the mailbox.  Perfect!

6.  I filled in the outlined graphic with a grey/green paint, using a basic artists brush

7.  Joe gave the mail flag a shot of bright red spray paint.  This actually helped immensely.

8.  Then we put all the house numbers and such back on.

ALL DONE! 

I'm kinda loving it.  Is it weird to be having a little love obsession with your mailbox?

It's okay, I'm also having a love obsession with this handsome hunk.  

I think that makes up for it, right?

Okay, I mostly just wanted to show off that picture :)

What a good Saturday afternoon project.  I'm not sure this Saturday will be so fun, but at least I'll get to go to the Farmer's Market in the morning!  I'm hoping to pick up some ingredients for the Minestrone Soup recipe from Centsational Girl.  Yesssss.  I tried her Potato & Corn Chowder recipe a few weeks ago, and it was delicious.  So I'm hoping this one does not disappoint!  

Oh, and good news in the yard!  Remember this?

It's GONE!!

Look at that flat-ish front yard.  Phew!  Nice work, Joe!

Well, I think I'll go back to looking at the Airstream trailer across the street.  

And maybe my mailbox :)

Have a great weekend everyone--and good luck on your afternoon projects!

~The Doodle Bug

I'm usually partyin' at these hangouts:

Friday Feature @ Redoux

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Simply Creations Link Party @ Simple Home. Life

It's a Hodgepodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life

Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter

Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday @ Kammy's Korner

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.

Wow Us Wednesdays@Savvy Southern Style

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Grey Highboy Dresser

Hello, Mr. Woodchuck.

Haven't seen you around in awhile, huh?

Do you remember how last Spring I was so excited to move to our current rental and see all the wildlife?  Yes, and how I was so excited about the woodchuck I saw by our shed?

Well, then we learned that they're varmints and that they tunnel under buildings, compromising the foundation.  So...then Joe got out his gun.  A big gun.  

On Sunday morning.

No more Woodchuck.

Until this evening, that is.  Now my husband will have something else to take care of.  And then we will all mourn the woodchuck.  *sniffle.*


Anyway, now that I have offended all the varmint lovers out there, let's get to the point of this post--starting with the before AND after!  (hey, you've already read this far, you deserve it).

Wax-Resist Stenciled Planter

Part 2 of 2.  To see Part 1, check it out at Building a Wood Planter Box.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Becky.  She liked to make things and especially paint things, but most of the time she just used different tricks she learned from other people.  This was great, but then one day she came up with an idea all her own.  And it. Was. Epic.

Crate Storage Bench + Tufted Upholstery

Yesterday, I learned to drive a skid steer.  We were at some friends' house while they cleaned out the concrete from their basement to pour a new foundation, and Joe was driving the skid steer.  My wonderful, talented husband was convinced that I needed to branch out and learn, so after much coaxing I hesitantly climbed into the intimidating machine.  It was surprisingly more intuitive to drive than I thought...and I had some fun!

See?  Fun.  

(also, you can see my new glasses--hooray, I am no longer blinking incessantly!  A big thank-you to the Woostah's for helping me pick them out) 

This project was inspired by my Aunt Mary.  She sent me a magazine clipping of the cutest little DIY bench in "O" Magazine--'cause she thought of me :)  They called theirs a Rolling Storage Bench, and I just happened to have everything I needed on hand to make a similar one.  

This is the page that my Aunt sent me, with a cute little card in the upper left of the first picture.  Isn't she so sweet?
I was so excited to get started.  Benches are such great little things.  You can put them practically anywhere  for a little extra seating, and they take up so little space.  This one is especially useful because it has storage options.

Lucky for me, I already had a little wooden crate on hand.  It was painted grey, and had a great little stamp on one side that I definitely wanted to enhance (see the "SS" toward the bottom?).  It's the little details like that makes a piece unique, so I took a little red craft paint and touched it up carefully by hand.  Then I got a little carried away and added a little stencil of my own to the sides...I just didn't want them to feel left out!  To finish off the paint, I did a "whitewash" and brushed some watery white paint over all the surfaces--just enough to lighten the color and age the new looking red paint.  Finished it off with some light sanding, and the painting was done.

Pink Street Party + Rocking Horse Glamor

This weekend is the Pink Street Party in Buffalo, a cancer awareness event whose mission is to "honor those who have experienced cancer, elevate cancer awareness, and enhance Cancer Care Services in our community."  The downtown is decked out in pink, with food vendors and occasional shops hoppin' to support the Pink Street Party organization.  If you're in the area tomorrow, come and check it out!  For more information on the event, check out their website, here.

In order to participate and support, I wanted to bring in a cutie pink item.  So I put on my girly hat, and decided that this little rocking horse was ready to put on her makeup and knock 'em dead!

Here she is...after I took out her mane & tail...it was very necessary.  Lots of lovin' had made them a little sad.  But never fear, she will get a new set soon...